Manuscripts
Christiaan Huygens : Mutual space-time synchronization between clocks : paper
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Times Mutual Benefit Association - Organization papers
Manuscripts
Approx. 25 items: memos, letters, forms, reports meeting minutes and a brochure related to the Times Mutual Benefit Assn. Including: a blank Prudential Insurance Company of America policy form ; 7-pp. brochure, "Group Insurance Plan - Times Mutual Benefit Assn. (from Prudential) ; more.
mssLAT
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Maxwell as a Student: speech
Manuscripts
This paper, which Everitt delivered at the Washington meeting of the History of Science Society in December 1969, deals with Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell and British scientist Michael Faraday. It is accompanied by a letter by Everitt to Bern Dibner gifting him the copy of the paper.
mssHM 80259
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Papers related to the development of Pinto Basin, California
Manuscripts
This group of items is made up of correspondence and documents related to real estate development of Pinto Basin, Riverside County, California by the following companies: Lake County Development Syndicate, Inc., Security Land Corporation, and Pinto Basin Mutual Water Company. The letters announce stockholder meetings, give news of the development and the search for water in the area, as well as discuss a lawsuit against Security Land Corporation by Pinto Basin Mutual Water Company over money owed to them. Also included are stock certificates, a prospectus for Pinto Basin development and a plat of Pinto Basin. Many of the letters and documents belonged to shareholders Frank Smith, Florence Smith, and William Smith of Alhambra, California.
mssHM 68351-68366
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Subscription paper 1 & 2
Manuscripts
This collection of two manuscripts concern the establishment of a Catholic church in the city of San Francisco. Document Number One has 82 supporting signatures, and Number Two has fifteen.
mssHM 255
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William Blathwayt papers addenda
Manuscripts
This collection consists of 195 pieces of business, diplomatic, and personal correspondence and accounts primarily accumulated by English civil servant William Blathwayt (1649-1717) during his service as a clerk in The Hague (1668-1672) and his tour of Europe in 1672, with some items dated 1682 and a few pieces relating to British colonies in the East and West Indies. Approximately twenty items are secret diplomatic correspondence and intelligence reports from agents throughout Europe, dating from 1720 to 1734 (after Blathwayt's death). Blathwayt Correspondence, 1668-1682 The correspondence of William Blathwayt primarily pertains to the affairs of the English Embassy in The Hague, international affairs, and the personal affairs and professional duties of Blathwayt, including his acquisition of rare books and antiques, particularly his dealings with Daniel Elzevir. The documents related to the affairs of the English Embassy in The Hague date from 1668 to 1672 and include negotiations about the release of ships and goods seized during the Second Anglo-Dutch War; affairs of English sailors and merchants in the Low Countries; and the salvage of a cargo of tin sunk off the port of Ostend (1666-1669). The documents related to international affairs primarily concern the secret treaty of Dover (1670) and the events leading to the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-1674); foreign relations with Sweden, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and Russia, as reflected in letters to Blathwayt from English diplomats and memoranda submitted to King Charles II by the Ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire in London (1682). Among the correspondents represented are Amsterdam lawyer Paulus Buys (18 items); Amsterdam book commissioner and agent J. D. Benoist (3 items); English factotum in Amsterdam Edmond Custis (15 items); Thomas Downton, the 1st secretary of William Temple (8 items); E. Jollyvet (4 items); Tannegui Lefebvre (2 items) Edward Meredith, an English diplomat in Spain (3 items); Sir William Temple (11 items); Count Franz Sigmund von Thun (6 items); Amsterdam merchant Dirck Van Pas (7 items); Sir John Werden (7 items); and Robert Wolseley (3 items). Diplomatic and intelligence reports, 1720-1734 The collection also includes letters and dispatches (including ciphered messages), written between 1720 and 1734 (after Blathwayt's death), from intelligence agents in Berlin, Hamburg, Cambrai, Paris, Port Sainte Marie (Spain), and Madrid addressed to Alexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of Marchmont, Charles Withworth, Charles Townshend, and Thomas Pelham-Holles, 4th Duke of Newcastle. The documents contain information on affairs in Brandenburg-Prussia, Russia, Spain, France, and Italy. Correspondents include: Giovanni Battista Paretti, Charles du Bourgay, and Sir Cyril Wich, although most dispatches are anonymous.
mssBLA
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William Brydges Papers
Manuscripts
The collection consists of the personal, estate, legal, and business correspondence of a Herefordshire gentry family with strong ties to the London legal world and with some slight connection to their more important relative James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. The first letter in the collection (26 Oct 1719) is written by William Brydges (1663-1736) to his brother Francis Brydges with regards to setting up a meeting between the two. The next forty letters are written by William Brydges (1681-1764) to his father Francis Brydges. In these letters, William displays traits of a member of the British upper-class. Whether it's by entertaining guests with a harp, mentioning an inclination to be "gentlemen-like", receiving invitations to dine and socialize with local lords, or being the second cousin of James Brydges 1st Duke of Chandos, William is not ashamed of his gentility. His title, Esquire of Tibberton (or Tyberton) in Herefordshire, reflects that as well. Although his work as a lawyer requires him to live in London during this time, he is still obligated to settle matters in Tibberton. The issue that is mentioned the most within this set of letters centers on the tithe dispute of Tibberton Parish. In the early 1700s, there were serious difficulties faced by the established church as the failure of the Anglican Church to meet the needs of its constituents all throughout Britain laid the groundwork for the rise of Methodism and other non-conformist sects- particularly associated with towns. In Tibberton, William and Francis Brydges have a difficult time getting the local citizens to pay for the repair of the collapsed chancel and tower of Tibberton Parish Church. In the case of the Tibberton church, neither the Dean and Chapter of the diocese nor the townspeople agreed to repair these damaged areas. According to William in one of his letters to Francis (17 Oct 1719), he states that the Dean and Chapter want parishioners to pay for the repair of the chancel but nobody is willing to pay. This disorganization leads to William and Francis demanding money from the person who collects the tithes of Tibberton parish, Mr. Tom Jones, in order to pay for the repairs themselves. Seeing as Francis and his father Marshall were both clerks of the church, their involvement in this case appears fitting. A further example of William's dedication to the church lies in his search for records indicating the administrative status of Tibberton and its adjoining church with the name "Madley". When the ownership of the church comes into question, William travels to the augmentation office at Westminster to prove that Tibberton is its own distinct parish. It is not known whether these issues get resolved, but what can be told from these letters is that William found documents proving Tibberton's distinct existence from Madley; the damaged chancel was removed by the end of 1719 (though not yet replaced with a new one); and due to both Tom Jones' refusal to pay his share and inaction from others involved with the church, William and Francis do not resolve the ecclesiastical conflict of law among all sides of this affair. Along with Tibberton, real estate matters are the most mentioned subject within William's letters to his father. These matters deal with William, his father-in-law Andrew Card (1653-1732) who served the Duke of Chandos as a lawyer, and Francis purchasing and selling estates within the towns of Bosbury, Hereford, Bristol, Moreton, Shirkway, and Upleadon. Some of William's cousins play a role in these affairs as well; including Will Vaughn who informs William of his intention to purchase the Brampton estate in Hereford, and Tom Brydges who is selling the Brampton estate in the first place. Another involvement of Tom brought up in these letters involves a complex and strenuous financial affair wherein Tom purchases the life annuity of Andrew Card's widowed sister "Aunt Holmes". The next sixteen letters are written from Joseph Hardwick (fourteen letters) and Stephen Reeves (two letters) to Francis Brydges from 1719 to 1720. Hardwick and Reeves are separate tradesmen hired by Francis to assist in the repairing of the church at Tibberton, but Hardwick also discusses land prices and other business affairs in his writings to Francis. The last three letters are written from notable architect John Wood (1705?-1754) from 1729 to 1731 to William Brydges concerning his estate purchase in Bristol. They consist of architectural suggestions for the estate- thus proving Wood's loyalty to the Brydges family after designing the Duke of Chandos' estate in Bath a few years earlier. From the day to day occurrences illustrated in these primary sources, the Brydges' way of life can be deciphered. The first thing to notice is that business for William, Francis, and Andrew Card is essentially localized. All of the estate affairs (except for Bristol being 40 miles from Hereford) occur in locations that are not only in Herefordshire but also extremely close within the county as well. The fact that there was no effective transport due to poorly maintained roads and a lack of modernized technology in this pre-Industrial Revolution era meant that business could be handled more easily when it was close by. Another thing to note is how often William talked about his family to his father. Seeing as how there was no other means of communication except for talking in person, William felt obligated to inform his father in every single letter that he wrote during this time how his immediate family fared. He constantly mentioned his daughter Elizabeth and nieces Mary and Elizabeth Unett because he shared a close relationship with all of them. Unfortunately, sickness was prevalent among this time due to the instances of Elizabeth "Betty" Unett contracting smallpox, Francis acquiring gout for a brief stint, and Andrew Card suffering from an illness that prevented him from traveling for a whole year and forced him to resign his post as treasurer of Gray's Inn in London in June 1719. William also wrote about politics- mentioning that his uncle William Brydges (1663-1736) lost a by-election at Wells, Somerset on December 14th, 1719; and also giving an account (letter of 26 Sept 1719) of working out a deal with Lord Chandos regarding the British East India Company and an outside agent, meanwhile providing hints towards a warm relationship he shared with his second cousin. The relationship between William, his father-in-law, and his biological father Francis is built on tremendous interaction and trust. Though other family members and various affiliates come to William for legal and financial advice, William constantly mentions throughout his letters to Francis that he relies on Card's counsel before he follows through with these affairs as well. William also trusts Francis enough to let him know everything that is occurring in his life during this time- so much so that the most repeated statement among these letters is: "I entirely submit my thoughts to you [Francis]". This statement demonstrates that people actually come to both William and Francis for legal and financial advice, and at the end of the day the father decides what is best. Thus we observe the family dynamic of the Brydges family in this collection.
mssHM 75705-75763